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Friday, January 27, 2012

Finally a swim

After my workout this morning with Paula, I headed home for my beloved protein shake and computer time (My routine was thrown off a bit this morning because James is working close to home which means we can get more sleep and push the coffee time back a bit.. unfortunately that meant that I didn’t have my usual social network and Gossip Girl time before the gym) More than ever I felt the urge to swim and I couldn’t ignore it anymore.. I went into the closet and dug out my old swim bag which has some of my old suits, googles and caps. Well as it turns out, not using your sweeds for god knows how long

will make the rubber straps rot out.. and turn to goo. Lucky for me I had one of those crazy straps ( like the one in the picture) that I bought forever ago. I’ve never used this type of strap before so it was all new to me- but I got it together and even found a piece of the old strap that wasn’t crap to replace the nose piece. Just so you know swedish googles are the best googles.. EVER and they are like $3 a pair.. I will warn you that they take some getting used to at first- but I’m pretty sure that wearing them 3 hours a day back in my teens has permanently reshaped my eye sockets for a perfect fit.. However once you start you can never go back.. True story.

I was so excited about swimming that I could literally feel my energy SURGING.. haha.. Kind of silly I know, but I was amped up! It was $5 for a single session and $30 for a month pass (which I will be purchasing on Monday when I go back) I wanted to talk to the staff a bit and really make my decision to commit to a month after I saw how the swim went.

So I had one goal for this swim.. I wanted to swim 40 laps ( just over a mile.. In competition its 33 laps 1650 in yards) I knew that I was going to be in rough shape and I was not mistaken.. It doesn’t take much to push you off your high horse- for sure. I started out with a simple plan.. “Let’s start with a 500 hundred warm-up”

Initially upon jumping in I felt amazing.. Just like coming home after a long trip. Well that high didn’t last too long when I realized how rusty this body of mine is. I had to stop after 200 yards to catch my breath, adjust my googles, and drink some water.. Hah.. it was pathetic. But after a few deep breaths I finished out the 500 yards.. I felt like it took about 10 minutes- I didn’t look at the clock- but that is what it felt like! I decided to be “gentle with myself” as Stacy always tells me to be… I just kept telling myself that I finally made it here.. and I should be proud. So in keeping with staying gentle, I decided on another 500 yards freestyle. This time I would not let myself stop, no matter what. I don’t care if I was barely moving, there was no way I was going to let myself stop. And just a quickly as I felt like I was rusty- it started to really come back to me. I felt slow and sore (decided to swim after a workout of shoulders was maybe not the smartest idea, lol ) But I was finding myself with each and every stroke. I finished and then did 500 yards mixed (100 breast stroke, 100 backstroke, 300 breast stroke freestyle blend) and closed it all off with one last 500 freestyle. So there you have it. 2000 yards just over a mile. I was in the pool for 45 minutes- so I was moving at a crawl.. but I got in that pool and I swam my little heart out and damn it.. I’m proud!

There is something about swimming that is unlike anything else to me. I love the smell on my skin afterwards, the way my hair feels, the way my ENTIRE body feels like I was hit by a car.. I swear nothing exhausts me like a good swim. But somewhere between strokes and gasping breath, there is this space.. Everything is weightless, it falls away and all I can do is FOCUS.. sure I’m chewing gum (yes I’m serious and I had a piece in my mouth for ever single practice ever… ) and playing songs in my head, but there is clarity. All I can hear is the water all around me, holding me in it’s embrace, and I feel like myself. I feel safe. I feel happy. I feel thankful.

So any doubts that I had about paying the $30 a month to swim are gone. I don’t care anymore.. I just want to feel this way, always.